After Lunch
by Xyverz
Summary: Sequel to Lunch Money. What if Harry learned how to fight from all the beatings he got at the hand of Dudley's gang? After standing up for himself in a most spectacular fashion, how has his bravery affected his future? What's in store for him now?


DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, that's JK Rowling's creation.  
NOTE: This is the sequel to Lunch Money. This starts off where that story ends. Please read that Lunch Money in order to understand where this story begins.

**After Lunch  
Chapter 1, The Journey Begins.**

Living with the Zabini family had been an interesting experience. He learned about the wizarding world. He learned about his place in history. He learned about the whole pureblood versus mudblood and muggle debate and he learned the ways and etiquette of those raised in the wizarding world.

For the most part, he thought that the pureblood rhetoric he had to endure from some of the older families was petty, narrow-minded, and seriously out-of-date. Much of their culture was built on a world that the muggles left behind three or four centuries ago.

The Zabinis were a different kind of pureblood. Well, at least this branch of the family was. Sure they honored the old ways and traditions, but they lived in the modern world. While not being exactly immersed in the wizarding world, they weren't living completely under muggle means either.

They lived in a mostly muggle well-to-do neighborhood not too far from Privet Drive. The biggest difference was that the homes here were more warm and inviting. They were well kept without being sterile and not so blatantly immaculate. Most of the neighbors knew each other and for the most part got on amiably.

They were aware when the slightly odd family on the corner brought home that Potter boy. The Dursley rumours had travelled far, but such silly notions about the boy being a miscreant were quickly squashed. To be truthful, those of the neighbors who **had** met the Dursleys in the past couldn't stand the arrogance that family tended to display. They were relieved to find out that they nephew had not picked up any of that behavior.

Harry continued to attend the primary school after the incident with Dudley and his gang, but he was never bothered again. In fact, after Harry's brilliant display of self-defense, the bullies lost their footing and soon found themselves the object of ridicule. More and more students stood up for themselves and as time went on, the gang and its members became a non-issue. Only Dudley continued with the bullying, albeit unsuccessfully.

At first, Harry was nervous that Vernon would renege on his promise to leave the boy alone, even with the very real threat of legal retribution from Mrs. Zabini. He never let his guard down, but Vernon never approached the boy again. Unknown to harry, the Zabini family would quietly adopt him shortly after his sixteenth birthday. After all, by the time he went off to school, he simply referred to Mr. and Mrs. Zabini as his Mum and Dad, and Blaise his brother.

When his eleventh birthday arrived, Harry was genuinely surprised by the arrival of not just his Hogwarts letter, but letters from Baubatons, Durmstrang, and Salem. He crossed Durmstrang off the list immediately because he had no desire to spend any time in the part of eastern Europe where the school was located. Likewise, he declined the invitation to Baubatons even thought the school was located in a very temperate part of France. The fact that he spoke not a word of French made in very impractical.

What came as an even bigger surprise to him though, was his ultimate decision **against** going to Hogwarts. Sure his parents went there, but the school was just too mired in the seventeenth century in terms of culture, technology and comfort. While Harry rather enjoyed visiting magical London - Diagon Alley and the surrounding attractions, he had no real desire to immerse himself in that world or lifestyle.

He actually would have preferred private study for his magical education and continuation of his muggle schooling, but the Zabinis were adamant that he attend a wizard-centric school. Because they offered an extensive muggle curriculum, Harry's choice was, in the end, Salem Academy.

Though it would be many years after he finished his education before they admitted it to him. Mr. and Mrs. Zabini were relieved that he chose as he did. They knew that he would not be treated fairly in the wizarding UK or Europe, and that his education would be severely lacking at Hogwarts.

Salem Academy, as they found out during their trip to Boston that summer, served students on both sides of the continental United States. In addition to the original campus in Boston, they had opened up a facility in California and were planning another Texas. Because the US had not been affected by world wars and Dark Lords, their magical population was far greater than the UK. The Salem Academy had opened up shortly after the signing and ratification of the Declaration of Independence. For the most part, the stateside wizarding community had stayed out of the Civil War in the mid 1800's and prospered in the early twentieth century. By the time of the "Baby Boom" in the 1950's, Salem officials recognized the need for another campus, thus Salem Academy West was opened in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1960's. Salem Academy Texas was scheduled to open sometime in the early 2000's but a location for the campus had yet to be chosen.

Given the amenities and relatively modern age of the California campus, Harry decided that the west coast was the best choice for him.

As their holiday to the United States came to an end, Harry became a bit apprehensive about leaving the family he'd grown very close to over the last year. Both his parents and brother (as he now called them) gave him as much love and support as he needed. Mr. Zabini reminded him of his preference toward muggle education and said that this was the best balance balance of muggle and wizard schooling he'd likely find anywhere. They assured him that they were only a phone call away and that he could call collect if he ever needed to.

Three days after they arrived back home, Harry was packed and ready to begin his long journey from London Heathrow to to San Francisco International Airport. In San Francisco, he would meet up with several other students and be driven to the school. It would be a long journey, but he would have nearly a week in his new dorm to acclimate no what would likely become his home for the next eight years.

As Harry debarked the plane, he noticed a man in his late thirties holding a placard with his name and the Salem Academy West logo on it.

"Mister Potter" the man asked as Harry approached. He held out his hand in greeting.

"That's me," Harry said, shaking the man's hand.

"Doug Sharp," the man replied. "I'll be taking you to meet the others who are flying in today. Most students will arrive over the next five days, but we urge those who fly in to get here early. Much easier to arrange local transportation that way."

As Doug led Harry to the baggage claim, he explained that most of the students made their own way in either with their families or by bus or rail to a local pick-up point closer to the school.

"I'm not just the airport pickup guy," Doug said with a chuckle as they gathered Harry's luggage. "I'm also one of the guidance counselors at Salem West. In fact, you're very lucky because I'm _your_ guidance counselor."

"What's a guidance counselor?" Harry asked.

"I'm the person you'll be working with to help guide you through your education," Doug answered. "I'm also the person you should report to if you have **any** questions, concerns, or complaints. I hope you'll be able to at least trust me enough for that anyway. Should you feel that I'm not serving your best interests, you are always allowed to petition for another counselor at any time."

"Thank you, sir," the boy replied. He already had a feeling that Mr. Sharp would be a good person to turn to. The notion of a guidance counselor made a lot of sense to him. A person focused on the well-being of the students without having to worry about other matters related to teaching just seemed more efficient.

"How many students attend the school during the year?" Harry asked. He'd heard that Hogwarts had about four hundred fifty students during any given year.

"Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Doug responded. When Harry eyed him in anticipation for the answer, he chuckled and finished, "It's a surprise! You'll have to find out when the rest of the students do."

Harry groaned in disappointment and the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued on to meet the other others. As it turned out, they met with four other students just outside the domestic baggage claim and quickly proceeded to the parking lot. When they got to the waiting van, a Ford Econoline, Harry was introduced to the new schoolmates: three boys and a girl.

The girl was a native American by the name of Sarah Running Bear. She was from Wyoming. Harry wasn't sure where Wyoming was, but he figured he'd look it up when he had a chance to do so.

The shortest of the three boys - who still towered over him - was a blond boy by the name of Mark Smith. He was a year ahead of Harry in school.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you get through the first few weeks," he said. "It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you've only just found out you're a wizard."

The next boy was Mark's older brother, Chuck.

"Yeah, what he said," Chuck greeted. "With knobs on it!"

That got a chuckle out of Harry, who felt himself start to relax a bit. Until then, he didn't even realize he'd become tense.

The last boy was a Hispanic kid by the name of Jose Campos, from Texas.

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said. "I'm Harry, from London, or thereabouts."

"London, England?" Mark asked. "Why'd you come all the way out here? Don't you have a school out there?"

Harry sighed, "Yeah, we do, but they're still living in the eighteenth century back there. Actually, the wizarding UK in its entirety, anyway. Hogwarts is good, but there's something to be said for modern conveniences."

Everybody nodded in affirmation.

"I do need to ask, just so I know know what to expect," he continued. "Is blood purity as big of an issue here in the States as it is back home?"

"Unlike _Merry old England_," Sarah answered, "most of our wizarding families go back only a few hundred years. Those that go back further immigrated here to get away from all that."

Just as Harry breathed a sigh of relief, she continued, "With all the different cultures here, we cannot afford to be at odds with each other. That is not to say we don't have problems with racism, but it's generally low key, and those that have the tendencies usually grow out of them by the time they graduate."

"Or they go elsewhere," piped in Mark.

By the time the conversation wound to a close, the six of them were in the van and on their way to the school.


End file.
